What You'll Actually Pay
Price after grants
$7,074 to $24,726 a year for in-state students, depending on income.
College Scorecard 2024 estimate · in-state rates
See the price at your income ↑Sticker price
Full cost before aid: $27,648 a year in-state. Average need-based aid package: $17,098.Aid and debt
50.6%
receive need-based grants
$24,924
average debt at graduation
4,243
students got merit aid
about 20% of undergraduates
$5,570
average merit award
Getting In
Key dates
Test scores
6% of the class submitted an SAT score; this school doesn't publish what they scored.
1% of the class submitted an ACT score; this school doesn't publish what they scored.
What they value
- Very important
- Course rigor (AP/IB)
- GPA
- Considered
- Personal essay
- Extracurriculars
- Special talent
- Character
- Volunteer work
- Work experience
- Not considered
- Class rank
- SAT/ACT scores
- Recommendations
- First-gen status
- Legacy status
- Where you're from
- In-state residency
- Demonstrated interest
What this means for you
Washington State rates course rigor as Very Important.
MoreLess
Rigor means AP, IB, and dual enrollment carry real weight — make sure your mix of AP or IB courses is strong.
Washington State doesn't consider demonstrated interest in admissions at all — visits and follow-up emails won't move the needle here.
Source: Common Data Set 2025–26, Section C7 (admissions factors)
Washington State just showed you what it values in an application. Use that to write a Why-Washington State essay that's actually about you — not a template.
Get sourced starting points for your essayStudent Life
34.8% of Washington State classes have fewer than 20 students.
34.8%
under 20 students
45.4%
20 to 49
19.8%
50 or more
Every class section counts, labs and seminars included; first-year courses tend to be larger. Washington State CDS 2025–26, I-3.
14:1
student:faculty ratio
Campus life
13.8%
first-years from out of state
26.14%
live on campus
18.22%
of men in fraternities
18.69%
of women in sororities
Who attends
- White55.7%
- Hispanic20.2%
- Multiracial8.5%
- Asian6.4%
- Black3.4%
- Unknown / other2.4%
Enrolled undergraduates; international students are counted separately and not included. Washington State CDS 2025–26, B2.
Popular majors
Will They Graduate?
44.2% of Washington State students graduate in 4 years.
44.2%
finish in 4 years
Entered fall 2019
62.8%
finish in 6 years
Entered fall 2019
80%
return after first year
Finishing late means paying for extra semesters, so the 4-year rate is the one that shows the cost.
Students with Pell Grants
51.7% finish in 6 years, against 62.8% of all students.
An 11.1-point gap: Pell Grant students finish less often than students overall.
City & Culture
Beyond the data — what it's actually like to spend four years in Pullman.
Pullman is a classic college town — small, walkable, and almost entirely organized around WSU life.
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There's a lively bar and restaurant strip, a strong sense of community, and not much else beyond it, which some students love and others find limiting after a year or two. It suits students who want campus to be the center of their universe, with Spokane just 75 miles away when you need a city fix.
The City
College town
Pullman, WA
Best For
Notable alumni
Notable Alumni
Edward R. Murrow
The defining broadcast journalist of the twentieth century, whose wartime radio reports from London and televised confrontation with McCarthyism set the standard for the trade. WSU's Murrow College of Communication is named for him.
Class of 1930
Drew Bledsoe
First overall pick of the 1993 NFL draft and, at 22, the youngest quarterback to play in a Pro Bowl. He threw for 7,373 yards here and took WSU to a Copper Bowl win in 1992.
Class of 1993
Alumni selected for name recognition and range of fields. Not from the Common Data Set.
Traditions
Traditions
Cougar First Ride
Incoming freshmen gather for a massive campus bike ride to kick off their first semester, guided by upperclassmen through WSU's rolling Palouse landscape. It's equal parts orientation and bonding ritual — a low-key way to feel like a Coug before classes even start.
Apple Cup
WSU's annual football rivalry game against the University of Washington is one of the oldest and fiercest in the Pac-12, drawing alumni back to Pullman in force every fall. The energy in Martin Stadium — or wherever it's hosted — is genuinely electric, regardless of either team's record that year.
Butch's Bash
A large end-of-year celebration named after Butch the Cougar, WSU's beloved mascot, featuring live music, food, and campus-wide events as students wrap up the academic year. It's the tradition that sends seniors off and reminds everyone else why they chose Pullman.
Weekend escapes from Pullman
Weekend Escapes
Within driving distance from Pullman
Spokane, WA
1.5 hoursA genuine small city with great restaurants, the Spokane River Gorge, a revitalized downtown, and enough live music and culture to feel like a real urban break without a long drive.
Palouse Falls State Park, WA
1 hourWashington's official state waterfall drops 198 feet into a dramatic basalt canyon — a jaw-dropping day hike that most out-of-state students can't believe exists this close to campus.
Coeur d'Alene, ID
1.5 hoursA resort town on a stunning Idaho lake that's perfect for hiking, kayaking, and beach days in summer — and a surprisingly charming downtown year-round.
Getting there and game days
Getting There & Game Days
Nearest airport
Spokane International Airport (GEG)
1.5 hours from campus
For international flights: Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) — about 4 hours 45 minutes by car.
Pro sports nearby
- Spokane Indians MiLBAbout 1 hour 30 minutes away
- Seattle Seahawks NFLAbout 4 hours 45 minutes away
- Seattle Mariners MLBAbout 4 hours 45 minutes away
Internships and jobs nearby
Career Proximity
WSU students tap into agricultural tech, healthcare, and engineering industries anchored in the Pacific Northwest, with Spokane serving as the primary regional job market.
Top Industries Nearby
Major Employers
- Microsoft (remote/Redmond)
- Providence Health & Services
- Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
- Washington State Department of Agriculture
- Avista Corporation
Spokane, WA — 1.5 hours from campus
Who thrives here
Who Thrives Here
Washington State admits 86.1% of applicants and reads no SAT or ACT score in doing it: C8A is answered No and the policy grid beneath it is empty, so a transcript and what a student has done outside it are the application. What follows admission is the harder question. 80.0% of first-years return, 62.8% finish within six years and 44.2% in four. In-state tuition and fees are $14,361 against $32,032 from out of state, aid meets 61.5% of need — well short of covering it — and graduates who borrow leave owing $24,924. Pullman is a college town and the campus behaves like one: 26.14% of undergraduates live in university housing and roughly 18% of both men and women join Greek life, which is high enough that a student who wants none of it should know that going in. 85.2% of undergraduates are Washingtonians.